The Boy Next Door
by Rin.Inuzuka
Summary: Modern AU where Sasuke gets a new neighbor. Minor SasuSaku & SaiNaru, SasuNaru Slice of Life; plenty of fluff! Possible yaoi- don't like, don't read.
1. New Neighbor

A/N: Hey everyone! For those of you reading my fic Instability, I am putting it on hold for a little while. I'm really sorry to do it, but I seem to have lost my plot a little bit. I'm hoping to get back into it soon!

xXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke lay on his neatly made bed, head resting on his pillow. He held a book above him, reading quietly while enjoying the relative comfort of the day. A soft knock on his door drew his attention from his book, causing him to glance over at the door.

"What?" he called, watching his door swing open. A lazy, half-lidded gaze met his, looking relatively bored.

"Yo, Sasuke. Looks like we got a new neighbor." He said calmly, getting Sasuke to sit up. Sasuke hated new neighbors. You could never tell if they were going to be loud, constantly come over and ask for things, or just be annoying in general. The black-haired boy swung his legs over his bed, setting his book down with the pages down, as to not lose his page.

"Does Neji know?" Sasuke asked, hearing footsteps approaching from down the hall.

"Yeah, Shikamaru told me a minute ago. Shall we go introduce ourselves?" the long-haired boy replied. The three twenty-two year old's shared a sigh, none particularly enjoying the social custom of "welcoming someone to the neighborhood." The three filed out of Sasuke's room, heading down a flight of stairs before stopping in front of their sliding glass door. From there, they could all see their new neighbor moving boxes one by one into his new home. He appeared to be by himself, which seemed strange.

"Maybe we should offer to help?" Neji suggested, watching the blonde come back out of his front door and lift another of the possibly twelve boxes that still sat in his driveway. Sasuke observed him for a minute longer; taking note of his appearance. The blonde was fairly tan, Sasuke assuming he spent much time outside. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with stripes on the chest and elbows of the sleeves, with a pair of Addidas sweatpants. He seemed to be fit, Sasuke able to see his muscles work beneath his shirt.

"I suppose that would be the polite thing to do." Sasuke sighed, trying to hide a slight tinge of excitement at meeting this new neighbor. Shikamaru pulled the slider opened, allowing Sasuke to walk out first followed by Neji and finally Shikamaru himself. The blonde was exiting his front door again but paused when he spotted the three boys walking up his driveway.

"Oh, hi, can I help you guys?" he asked, ocean eyes meeting Sasuke's immediately.

"Hey, we saw you start moving in and just wanted to introduce ourselves. I'm Shikamaru," the tired looking boy introduced himself first, earning a kind smile from the blonde.

"I'm Neji, pleasure to meet you." Neji spoked next, nodding to the other with a smile. The blonde looked back at Sasuke, eyes waiting with that smile still on his face. Sasuke noticed that he had six scars on his face, three on each side like whiskers.

"Sasuke," he said simply. The blonde gave the three a toothy smile.

"My name is Naruto! It's nice to meet you guys, do you all live together?" he asked.

"Actually yes, we are roommates." Neji replied, nodding toward their home to the left of Naruto's. The blonde's eyes sparkled with elation.

"That's awesome! Oh, I've gotta finish moving my boxes! It's supposed to rain," Naruto suddenly seemed to realize, looking up at a slowly darkening sky.

"Would you like any help? Four is better than one," the long-haired boy offered.

"You'd do that? That would be great!" he replied, leading the other three over to the rest of the boxes. He pointed out that some were labeled "heavy" while others had a list of their contents written on the cardboard. They each carried boxes inside, following Naruto up his stairs and setting most of the boxes down in one room, which appeared to be his bedroom.

"Where's your bed, dude?" Shikamaru asked, noting the lack of a bedframe and mattress. Naruto's cheeks turned pink, seeming embarrassed even though he smiled. Sasuke's watched Naruto's eyes, seeing a slight discomfort and sadness there.

"Don't have one!" he forced a light laugh. Shikamaru, Neji and Sasuke exchanged a look before heading back outside to grab the remaining four boxes. The sky was nearing black now, as the three roommates said fair-well to their new neighbor. They quickly headed to their own home, getting inside just as rain started to fall. Sasuke headed straight to the kitchen as the other two went to the living room, separated only by an open dining room.

"Why doesn't he have a bed?" Shikamaru wondered out loud, genuinely confused over this. Neji shrugged, watching Sasuke from over the back of the couch as the latter began to cook dinner (it was his night).

"Maybe he prefers a futon?" Neji proposed, earning a thoughtful nod from Sasuke.

"It's possible, depends on if his family is traditional like that." He replied, glancing up from his boiling pot of rice to look out the slider. He was taken a bit aback when he noticed a mop of blonde hair running through thick rain, heading down his driveway and the opposite way down the street.

"That dobe is running around outside in the rain. Where the hell is he going?" Sasuke asked in surprise, earning Neji and Shikamaru's shared confused gazes. They all thought quietly about their new neighbor, not quite grasping his living situation.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto breathed hard as he ran into his house, slamming the door behind him. His thin sweater and sweatpants clung to his body as he was completely soaked from going out in the rain. Holding a plastic bag against his chest, Naruto shook out his hair and shivered. He headed to his kitchen, taking a quiet look around his dining room and living room. He liked that he could see everything, it was comfortable. Setting the bag down on the counter, the twenty-two-year-old pulled out a few cups of instant ramen noodles, boiling water while he peeled off his sweater and sweatpants.

He looked down at his body for a minute, honestly able to appreciate his well-toned figure. His eyes, however, lingered on those aspects of him that he did not appreciate; his scarred stomach and arms. Sad eyes looked over himself, noting every raised scar and old burn, among other marks that plagued his skin. Tossing his wet clothes in the sink, Naruto walked over to a box on his dining room table labeled "towels and pj's". Reaching in, he dried himself off and pulled off his boxers. Pulling on just a loose pair of grey sweatpants, the blonde walked over and finished making his instant noodles. Sitting on his couch with the cup and a pair of chopsticks, Naruto watched out the sliding glass door that led to his backyard, watching the rain.

Naruto liked the rain, he gave his home noise that he could relax while listening to, while also distracting him from his thoughts. He sighed before shoving noodles into his mouth and eating. He hoped that his neighbors would end up becoming his friends. Being on his own was getting hard, too hard on his mind. He hated the silence that followed him, only typically replaced by harsh words and insults from strangers. He was so tired of having to move somewhere new because the people around him would not accept him. He never quite understood why, but he hoped it would not happen here.

Especially after meeting that dark-haired boy, Sasuke. Something in Naruto's chest fluttered, causing his cheeks to heat up. There was something intriguing and unique about that boy, something Naruto hoped he could get to know.


	2. Jacket

Sasuke groaned as sunlight streamed in through his window, casting golden light over his closed eyes. Rolling over, he slowly opened his eyes and glared at the clock.

'_6:00am, why can I never sleep longer?' _Sasuke wondered as he slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position. He stretched his long arms over his head, a satisfying pop coming from his shoulders. A yawn escaped him, causing his eyes to water. As he sat in his bed, contemplating laying back down or getting up, he heard faint voices. One, he recognized right away as his roommate Shikamaru, while the other was new.

Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, Sasuke stood up, allowing his comforter to fall slightly onto the floor. Grabbing a pair of sweatpants off his nightstand, the black-haired boy pulled them up over his boxers and headed for his door. The closer he got, the more he tried to place the second voice. He opened the door and wandered into the dining room, peering out of the sliding glass door and seeing his roommate and the blonde he had met yesterday; Naruto. The two were sitting on the small porch right outside the slider, small trails of smoke drifting up from both young men.

A frown crossed Sasuke's face, watching Naruto bring a cigarette to his lips and take a long drag, possibly longer than Shikamaru usually did. The blonde held his breath briefly before blowing the contents of his lungs out into the air, smiling and listening to Shikamaru talk to him.

Sasuke walked to the door, nonchalantly sliding it open and being met with two pairs of eyes.

"Morning, Sasuke." Shikamaru greeted, earning nothing but a look.

"Good morning! I'm sorry if we woke you!" Naruto spoke next, Sasuke almost wincing at the volume of the boy's voice. The raven did not reply to the greetings, leaning against the door frame.

"Smoking is terrible for you." He said bluntly, always one to speak his mind clearly. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, staring at his roommate as he took a deep breath filled with tobacco and blew the smoke out his nose. Naruto's face hardened at the comment, turning away to not face his new neighbor.

"I know," the blonde answered, staring at the cigarette in his hand. They were quiet for a long time before Shikamaru spoke again.

"I was telling Naruto that we were going into the city today and that he could come too." Shikamaru said calmly, looking at his new friend. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"That's fine. Sakura is coming with us." He replied, earning a loud sigh from the pony-tailed man.

"Ugh, what a drag. Women," he grumbled. Shikamaru and Naruto simultaneously took in a deep breath of their cigarettes, letting the smoke out one after another.

"Would you mind if I invited someone? There's someone I've been sorta talking to." Naruto asked, a shy smile on his face. Sasuke studied the boy's expression, noticing how his eyes softened just slightly and how his cheeks relaxed into a soft smile.

"Whatever you want, man." Shikamaru answered, truly being the one with the least cares. The blonde stood up suddenly, almost panicked, as the expression on his face changed.

"What time is it?" he asked, urgency in his voice. Sasuke turned and peered over at the clock in his kitchen.

"6:30, why?" Sasuke replied. Naruto cursed softly under his breath, not thinking before putting his cigarette out quickly against his palm.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Shikamaru nearly shouted, swatting the no longer useable cigarette away from Naruto's hand.

"Sorry, sorry! I'll meet you guys before we leave, I have to go take care of something." He spoke quickly, waving to his neighbors before running off back toward his house. Sasuke and Shikamaru looked at each other, genuinely not sure what had just happened.

"He's crazy." Sasuke stated, staring after the blonde as he quickly entered his house and shut the door.

xXxXxXxXxXx

The clock read 11:00am, and Sakura had just arrived at Sasuke's house. She was chatting with Neji on the couch, them both being in similar professional fields. Sasuke listened idly as he watched out the window, waiting for the blonde next door to appear. As if on cue, said boy walked out from his front door, followed by another man. The man following him was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, making the intense paleness of his skin prominent. They spoke to one another as they headed to the house next door.

Sasuke found his eyes locked on the hyperactive boy that had moved in the other day. He looked mildly uncomfortable, wearing a black tank-top underneath an orange and black jacket, and dark jeans.

'_It's like 78 degrees out, and he's wearing a jacket?"_ Sasuke wondered, walking over to open the slider and allow the newcomers in.

"Hi everyone, this is Sai." Naruto spoke, much more calmly than he had earlier in the morning. The other boy, Sai, smiled kindly.

"Nice to meet you all." Sai said, looking at each person. Sakura stood up form the couch, a smile on her face, her red and white dress flowed around her thighs gently as she walked over to the new boys.

"I'm Sakura, Sasuke's girlfriend." She introduced herself.

"I'm Naruto, I just moved in next door." The blonde responded evenly, earning a shared look of confusion from both Sasuke and Shikamaru.

All of the boys exchanged greeting briefly before Shikamaru stood from the couch and announced it was time to go. Sasuke wrapped his arm lightly around Sakura's waist, holding her in a loving way as they walked out the door. He minutely noticed Sai taking Naruto's hand, lacing their fingers together and earning a blush from the blonde.

They all headed out the front door, deciding to walk to the city that was located only about 10 minutes away on foot. Neji and Sakura continued their conversation, chatting about the differences in their medical practices. Sakura was in school to become a nurse, while Neji was practicing acupuncture and physical therapy. Sasuke listened to them for a minute before tuning in to Naruto and Sai's conversation.

"You should remove your jacket, you look ridiculous." Sai was saying, without much emotion in his voice.

"Hey, that's mean! I like my jacket." Naruto countered, a pout evident in his voice. Sasuke looked over his shoulder, watching Sai scowl slightly and again almost demand that Naruto remove the piece of clothing.

"I don't have anywhere to put it," Naruto defended, taking his hand away from Sai's briefly. The pale boy frowned and grabbed the blonde's hand back, earning a cringe of pain. Naruto yanked his hand away, inspecting the circular burn on the heel of his palm.

"You're an idiot." Sai spat, taking Naruto's hand once again and insisting on holding it tightly. Mild pain was in Naruto's eyes, but when he noticed Sasuke watching them he smiled.

"So, what exactly are we doing today?" he asked, Sasuke staring in slight concern.

"Just hangin' in the city. There're shops and restaurants. It's nice," Shikamaru replied, his arms folded behind his head to support it like a pillow as they walked. Sasuke watched Naruto for a minute longer, feeling Sai's gaze boring into his back. The raven watched as Naruto continued a conversation with Shikamaru and Sai, feeling a bit of anger rise in him as the rude comments from Sai kept coming into the conversation.

As they reached the city limit, Sasuke heard Sai tell Naruto to remove his jacket again, this time earning a loud sigh from the blonde.

"I'm not comfortable taking it off, you know that." Naruto said quietly, as if trying to not allow everyone else to hear him. Sasuke did not turn around this time, but instead heard the rustling of clothes and an incredibly unhappy groan. When he did turn, he saw that Naruto's jacket was now in Sai's hands, leaving the blonde's arms exposed because of his tank top. Sasuke stopped walking, and in turn Sakura stopped because of the way he was holding her. Neji and Shikamaru noticed and turned as well, eyes landing on Naruto.

His face was clearly upset, blue eyes dull and cast down as he crossed his arms over his broad chest, in an attempt to hide them. His arms were massive; muscular and toned, tan as well. When he crossed them, his biceps bulged and his shoulders tensed, making everyone realize just how big he really was. They all continued to stare though, not exactly at the size of the 22-year old. His arms were covered in scars, some appearing to be varying sizes of cuts while others seemed to be burns of varying sizes.

"Naruto, what-?" Sakura started to talk but was immediately interrupted by said blonde.

"I uh, sorry, I have to go home. I'll see you guys later," he blurted out, before abruptly turning around and running. Sasuke's eyes followed him, a frown on his face as it seemed like he was running literally for his life. Sai simply smiled at them, shrugging. Releasing Sakura's waist, Sasuke snatched Naruto's jacket from the pale boy's hands, his eyes filling with anger.

"You should leave." He spat, before turning back to his friends and leading them away. Shikamaru and Neji watched Naruto for a minute longer before glaring at Sai and following their friend. Sai stood there, no longer smiling, but appearing irritated. He turned and began walking back toward where they had all come from.


	3. Where It Starts

**A/N:** Hello! Just wanted everyone to know how I feel Naruto and Sasuke physiques look in this fic! I imagine Naruto much closer to his adult physique; tall and broad, with solid muscle. I imagine Sasuke as a very fit adult, tall as well, and probably much more like his adult appearance (obviously not missing an arm though). Hope this helps with how they should look! All other characters are basically their adult appearances, unless said otherwise or altered by me.

xXxXxXxXxXx

The sky had started to turn dark as Sasuke bid farewell to Sakura, kissing her cheek before she climbed into her roommate Ino Yamanaka's car and leaving. The raven watched with a bored expression as the small blue car took off down the street, turning to head back into his home when they turned the corner. Shikamaru was, unsurprisingly, asleep on the couch while Neji watched a program on the television. Otherwise, the house was quiet. Sasuke looked over toward the dining room table, noting that his neighbor's jacket was still sitting on the table from earlier that day. He could see from the sliding door that a few lights were on in the other's home, causing him to sigh and pick up the jacket.

"I'm going to Naruto's." he said stoically, earning nothing but a nod from the brunette that was still awake. The Uchiha boy walked quietly to the door, opening it and walking out. Leaving the door open to allow the cooler evening breeze to waft into his own home, Sasuke began his very short trek over to Naruto's. He noticed that the blonde seemed to have made a small garden in his front yard, in a small space by the front door.

Flowers of varying colors sat in soil, with intricate rock patterns between them. The rocks were all white, beginning to shine in the coming moonlight as the last hints of sun began to fade. They swirled in flowing patterns around the flowers, separating them by colors. Sasuke smiled softly to himself, eyes locked on a bunch of flowers that seemed to be various shades of blue. The bundles of flowers, he realized, seemed to symbolize the elements in each patch; shades of red and orange, shades of blue, shades of green, and shades of white and light purples. It was beautifully done, and it reminded Sasuke of his mother's garden when he was younger.

He missed going outside as a child, seeing his mother happily tending to her flowers as his elder brother and father did some other outdoor activity; whether it be games or yardwork. They had been such a close family when Sasuke was young, so happy. However, Sasuke's father had started a business a few years prior, and by the time Sasuke turned four, everything was different. They moved to a big house, with a yard so large that his mother could not possibly fill it with a garden like she used to. His parents both got very involved in their work, leaving Sasuke home alone with his brother, Itachi, almost constantly.

This, though, was fine with the youngest. He greatly looked up to Itachi and adored every minute they spent together. Eventually, just like with his parents, the company sucked Itachi in too. Sasuke was left alone, in a big house, with not even his family around to be with him. He had learned the unfairness of the world then, seeing it for what he thought it truly was. You could not depend on people, they would just leave when better opportunities arose. You could only truly depend on yourself, after all, where are you going without yourself?

A cold breeze broke Sasuke from his thoughts, cursing at himself at having been distracted by _flowers_. With a disgruntled sigh, he went to the front door and knocked softly. He waited a moment, not hearing any sound from behind the wooden barrier to the house. Frowning, he tentatively took the door handle and turned it, an incredulous look crossing his face.

'_This dobe left the door unlocked…' _Sasuke thought at he easily swung the door open. He stepped inside, glancing around briefly. He noticed that the house was very lightly furnished; a small dining table and chairs, a couch with a coffee table, and a short bookshelf with a television on it. It seemed too minimal to Sasuke, it was almost amazing.

"Naruto?" he called, finally announcing his presence. No response came to him, which encouraged the 'intruder' to walk further into the home, into the living room. From there, he could see out Naruto's back sliding door. Outside, several glass jars of fairy lights lined the wooden porch, along with a couple small lanterns hanging from the roof that loomed over the porch. In the center of the light, Sasuke saw Naruto sitting, his legs off the porch, and his head angled down as if focused on something in his lap.

He was still wearing his tank top, though seemed to have traded his jeans for grey sweatpants. Sasuke quietly walked closer, obsidian eyes looking at every mark he could see along not only Naruto's arms and shoulders, but the parts of his back that were visible from his tank top, and his neck. Each mark seemed to be from something different, or from a different time. Some were cuts and gashes, some seemed to be burns and large areas of discoloration that Sasuke could not tell how they happened. Something in his chest caused him to hold his breath, hurting each time his heart beat. He raised his free hand to his chest, gripping his shirt tightly. What was this, pity? No, this was something different, this was _pain_. Pain he felt in his heart for the blonde boy that sat unknowingly before him.

With a deep breath, Sasuke quietly slid the door open and gently stepped outside.

"Hey, Naruto," he tried to keep his voice soft, as to not scare his neighbor, though ultimately failed. What-ever the other was concentrating on flew from his hands and onto the floor as he jumped, whipping around to face Sasuke.

"Holy _shit_! Sasuke, what the fuck?!" he shouted, panic in his eyes before it was filled with immediate embarrassment. He unconsciously crossed his arms, his sad attempt at hiding them again.

"This is why you should lock your door, dobe." Sasuke scowled, hand on his hip. Naruto's face flushed and he looked down a bit, scratching the back of his head.

"Heh, yeah I guess I forgot. But what're you doing over here, anyway?" he asked, looking back up at the raven. Sasuke moved to sit beside the blonde, handing over the jacket.

"I wanted to give that back." He replied shortly, seeing Naruto's eyes light up. He took that jacket, happily folding it in his lap.

"Thank you! It means a lot." Naruto replied, voice becoming softer. Sasuke merely nodded, turning his gaze down to what Naruto had dropped previously. He bent down, picking up a large white drawing pad from the ground, and a pencil.

"What's this?" he asked, flipping open the pad and inspecting the first page. There was a drawing of a young boy, standing alone as he faced a dense crowd of people; men, women, and children. The boy seemed to be the focus, as he had the most detail while the crowd was mostly shaded in with dark lines. The boy had one hand down and the other raised to his face, the hand at his side clenched in a tiny fist. It was clear that it was intended to show the boy was crying.

Sasuke looked over at Naruto, who had his hands in his lap on top of his jacket. He was looking at the drawing as well, watching as Sasuke turned to the next page. The same boy from the previous page was again the focus, though appeared to be older. In this drawing, the boy was sitting on a swing that hung from a tree. There were other children drawn in the background, but none of them appeared to recognize the boy's presence. This one, unlike the previous, was colored. The boy was colored in grey scale, as well as a decent perimeter around him, while the rest of the drawing was colored in vibrant colors and detail. Sasuke again looked up at his neighbor, noting the tiredness that was easing into his features.

"Those are drawings I've done." Naruto answered Sasuke's question, eyes still locked on the pad. Sasuke watched the blonde for a minute, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Who's the kid?" Sasuke asked, pointing at the child in the drawing. Naruto smiled then, his cerulean eyes holding a profound sadness, one that Sasuke did not know if he could even understand.

"Me," Naruto replied, reaching out and gently taking the drawing pad. The raven did not fight it, simply let him take it and continue to look at the picture.

"You guys, when you helped me move in, looked so confused. I don't have a lot of stuff, but that's mostly because with how often I have to move, having a lot of things would be a hassle." The blonde continued, lifting his gaze finally to meet Sasuke's. Naruto could feel his eyelids falling shut, his half-lidded gaze bleary with sleep.

"Why do you move often?" Sasuke found himself asking, expression holding slight concern at the increasingly more exhausted look on Naruto's face. The blonde chuckled softly at the question, running a hand up and down his arm, eyes wondering over all of his scars.

"People don't really like me a whole lot." His reply became a huskier mumble as sleep crept into his voice.

"Why don't people like you? I mean, you're loud and annoying, but that's not a reason to hate someone." Sasuke stated, earning a small, genuine smile from the blonde.

"I'm worried if I tell you, you won't like me either. And I really like you." Naruto mumbled, looking into the other's eyes briefly before his slid shut. Naruto's body fell forward as sleep claimed him, his head landing solidly against Sasuke's shoulder.

"Oi, dobe." Sasuke prodded Naruto's side with his finger. He could feel Naruto's breath fan over his shirt, warming his skin underneath. The blonde was warm, his entire body radiating such warmth that Sasuke found it absurd he even owned jackets. Shifting, Sasuke guiding Naruto's head into his lap, looking down at the man's face. He examined the "whisker" scars on his cheeks, curious as to what they were from.

Suddenly, Sasuke's cheeks heated up, realizing he had been leaning in closer to study his neighbor's face. Sitting up quickly, Sasuke took the black and orange jacket from Naruto's lap and folded it neatly. He placed it on the wooden porch, gently maneuvering Naruto's head down to the jacket and off his lap. Naruto made a soft sound in his sleep, causing Sasuke's breath to catch. The blonde adjusted his body to get comfortable, and Sasuke let out a relieved sigh at not having woken him. Standing quickly, Sasuke walked back through Naruto's home, ensuring the door was closed when he left.

He felt his heart slamming against his ribcage, even when he had entered his home and gotten into his bedroom. Placing a hand on his chest, Sasuke sat on his bed, mind spinning with thoughts.

'_Why am I so…flustered?'_ he wondered, trying to calm his heart and mind. Sasuke laid down on his bed, not bothering to change into something comfortable to sleep. In fact, he did not get much sleep. Closing his eyes brought up images of Naruto; his scars. Opening his eyes kept the thoughts and questions flowing;

'_What caused all of those scars?'_

'_Is he alone?'_

'_Why does he make my heart hurt?'_


	4. Smile

Sasuke sat with his roommates outside a small restaurant that was in the town close to their home. Shikamaru and Neji chatted idly as they played a miniature game of chess that the restaurant had on each table. He glanced down at his watch, briefly noting that is was 12:15 in the afternoon. As he looked up, a server stepped over to their table. The boys playing chess did not even notice the man coming over, leaving Sasuke to order for them.

"He'll have the miso mackerel," Sasuke said, pointing at Shikamaru.

"Soba with herring," the boy pointed to Neji as he ordered.

"And I'll have onigiri with fish," he finished, earning a smile and nod from the server before he left. With minor annoyance, he looked at his friends.

"You are children." He muttered, earning a smirk from Neji.

"It's so much effort to talk to people," Shikamaru groaned, yawning for emphasis as he moved his next piece on the board. Sasuke rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair as a cool breeze fluttered down the street. He watched people walking by, enjoying the calm of the afternoon. Across the street, he noticed a familiar mop of blonde hair, catching his attention for a second. He watched his neighbor head down the street, dressed in jeans and a black sweater. He smiled kindly at almost everyone that would spare him a glance as they walked by. Sasuke watched, however, as a few of the people walking towards him chose to cross the street as opposed to walking by him.

'_I wonder what's up with that.'_ Sasuke wondered, taking a sip from his glass of water. He continued watching Naruto walk, feeling his cheeks warm slightly. Frowning to himself, Sasuke averted his eyes and instead began to watch his friends play chess.

"Uzumaki! That you?" a voice caught the attention of all three boys. They turned, seeing their neighbor and friend standing in front of three other people; two men and a girl. Naruto was not smiling anymore, instead, his eyes were locked with the ground as he bit his lip.

"What do you want, Suigetsu?" Naruto asked, not looking up. The man who spoke laughed, heavily placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"What, I can't be happy to see an old friend?" the white-haired man asked, his violet eyes shining. The other man stood quietly, a frown on his face as well as on the girl's face.

"I'm not your friend, now leave me alone." Naruto shot back, shrugging the man's hand off his shoulder before moving to walk around them. Concern flooded Sasuke's thoughts as he watched the other man, who's orange hair stuck up at weird angles, grabbed Naruto's arm tightly. They were similar in size, though the blonde was shorter. They stared at each other, both scowling until the redheaded girl laughed loudly.

"Boys, stop being stupid. I'm sure we'll see Blondie later." She giggled, adjusting her glasses on her nose. Naruto seemed mildly disturbed by this comment, though he nonetheless pulled his arm away and continued walking.

"Why are so many people staring at him now?" Neji asked, observing the looks the blonde was receiving after the encounter.

"What did that guy call him? Uzumaki?" Shikamaru asked, looking back at Sasuke.

"Yeah, why?" Sasuke asked, not understanding. Shikamaru sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Uzumaki was the last name of an elite businessman, similar to your dad." Shikamaru replied, causing Sasuke's eyebrows to raise. Neji turned back to his friends, all growing quiet when their food arrived. When the waitress left, the brunette spoke.

"Minato Uzumaki, he apparently committed suicide about 19 years ago." He said solemnly. Eyes wide, Sasuke looked back to where he could just barely see Naruto continuing down the sidewalk, hands shoved in his pockets. The ache that plagued his chest the night he saw Naruto's scars was back, pain attached to every beat of his heart.

'_What has he been through?' _

xXxXxXxXxXx

Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke followed a familiar sidewalk home, having enjoyed most of the day in town. The sun was still up, but only for a couple more hours, casting long shadows on the pavement. As they neared their home, the noticed a blonde head rushing around his driveway, carrying various cleaning supplies.

"Hey, Naruto, you alright-, wha-?" Shikamaru started before he realized the problem. The boy's home had spray paint all over the walls, windows, and door, as well as rocks all up his driveway; and apparently one that had made it through a window.

"Oh, uh, hey guys!" Naruto greeted nervously, filling a bucket with water from his garden hose.

"What happened?" Sasuke demanded, blushing lightly at the protectiveness in his tone. Naruto hurried over to a part of his home that had awful words written across it; demon, murderer, faggot, freak. The blonde raised a sponge to the paint, beginning to clean it off.

"Uh, probably just some stupid kids." He laughed, but Sasuke could see through it. Naruto was hurt, it was very clear, but how he still managed to laugh was beyond his three neighbors.

"Do you need any help?" Neji offered, causing the other to stop cleaning.

"You'd really help me?" he asked, turning to face the three.

"Well, yeah, you're our friends." Shikamaru spoke up, earning a true smile from the blonde. He handed each of the three a sponge, thanking them several times as they each went to a different spot to help clean. Sasuke stayed beside Naruto, scrubbing "faggot" off his front door.

"You know who did this." Sasuke said quietly; not a question but a statement. Naruto sighed beside him, staring at the word "murderer" that he was about to clean. He nodded, raising the sponge and slowly wiping off the red paint.

"I told you people don't really like me." He replied, Sasuke could feel the lull in his mood.

"You never told me why." The raven pointed out, halfway through cleaning off his word. The blonde scrubbed the wall hard, his voice quiet when he answered.

"People blame me for my mother and father's passing." he said softly, blue eyes glued to the wall as he continued.

"My mother died when I was born, and my father," he paused, his voice cracking and betraying him, "My father committed suicide when I was three." He nearly whispered, turning watery eyes on Sasuke. Wide, black eyes took in the sight of Naruto; tears rolling down whiskered cheeks as he _smiled_. Sasuke was at a loss for words as he stared back at Naruto. How could someone have gone through that, and still be _smiling_?

"I'm sorry." Was all he could say, watching Naruto wipe his eyes.

"It's fine, really." He answered, but the darkness still hung in his eyes and voice. They all continued to clean in silence, up until the sun began to set. Most of the paint had been washed away, the rocks cleared, and the window temporarily patched with tape and a trash bag.

"Naruto, do you want to have dinner with us?" Neji invited, his pale eyes sincere.

"No, that's okay Neji but thanks. You guys helped me out a lot." The blonde replied, a tired smile on his face. The boys then all said their good nights, Shikamaru and Neji leaving before Sasuke. The raven stared at his friend, earning a blue gaze meeting his.

"You sure you're okay?" Sasuke asked, debating whether leaving Naruto alone was a good idea. Naruto seemed to consider this for a long time, watching Sasuke's face. The other noticed a light pink dusting Naruto's cheeks, a shyness in his eyes.

"I mean, yeah. Unless, you'd like to stay over?" he offered, the pink becoming red. Pretending not to notice, Sasuke nodded, earning a grin from Naruto as they entered his home.

Sasuke's heart pounded in his chest, anxiousness falling over him. Why did this happen when he was alone with Naruto? He never felt this way around Shikamaru and Neji, not even Sakura! He watched his friend walk across the room to his couch, sitting down and patting the seat beside him to invite Sasuke. The raven obliged politely, sitting beside Naruto as the television was turn on.

They did not speak initially, simply watched the program that was on and quietly sat in each other's presence. It was oddly comfortable, not like when Sakura cuddled up to Sasuke constantly, wanting to lay on him and talk through shows. They simply existed beside each other, with no necessity of speaking or touching. It was pleasant, and the longer Sasuke sat, the longer he hoped it would last.

[To be continued…]


End file.
